Similar to Azul this is a very pretty abstract game, but I’d argue that Reef attempts to embrace its admittedly light theme a touch more than Azul does. They both look great though, and help the promote abstract games as more than dry, boring, head to heads that last hours. Final Score: 3.5 Stars – A solid abstract strategy game that makes a great choice for families and those looking for something on the lighter side of the spectrum.

The patterns you need to create for scoring are fluid and ever-changing, leading to endless configurations on your board. The strategies that worked for you in one game may not be as effective in the next. Reef demands adaptability, constantly challenging you to find the most efficient way to score points given the current state of your reef and the available cards. The game comes with a clear, well-illustrated rulebook that provides examples of gameplay, making it even more accessible for first-time players. There are no convoluted exceptions or complex rules to memorize, which contributes to a smoother learning process. While you’d love to score every pattern in your hand, you simply won’t be able to do so. Some cards you’ll have to play for their collection potential and others for their pattern scoring. Once everyone has placed their initial four coral, the player with the starfish on their personal board is the one that starts the game properly. If a pattern shows printed numbers with a "+" next to them, all of your top pieces of the right color and with a height equal to or higher than the printed number count.

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Reef is a simple game to learn and play. Players try to score the most points by adding colorful coral pieces to their growing reef and scoring patterns. When it comes to player scaling, I’m a bit torn as to which player count I like best. Since Reef is pretty much a multiplayer solitaire game, there isn’t much you can do to hinder your opponents. The best you can do is draft a card that would really help out an opponent so they don’t score off it, but that’s usually a suboptimal move. I’ve found at the two player count, the game is much more strategic, as the cards in the drafting row don’t move very often. While at 4 players, the cards churn much more rapidly, so the game becomes more tactical as what you have to choose from will change often. However, then you have to deal with the increased downtime between turns. There are many different ways to score in Reef. Final Thoughts:

The first thing players notice about Reef is the fantastic coral pieces. The chunky and colorful pieces are the centerpiece of the game. Not only do they present a great tactile experience with the game, but they’re also very functional. While each color is uniquely shaped, they all nest on top of each other very well. We love seeing our colorful coral reefs grow. Reef is simple to learn and get to the table. On a players turn, they have two choices for an action. They can either draw a card from the center display or play a card from their hand.All cards are divided into two halves and are resolved from top to bottom when played. The top half shows what two reef pieces you’ll add to your reef board when you play it, while the bottom half shows how you can score this turn. You score by having your reef match the pattern on the card. For example, if the card shows 3 purple reef pieces in a row, you need 3 purple reef pieces in a row on your reef board. You can also score multiple times if you have different reef pieces matching the pattern. Reefis very much a game about efficiency, every card you play gives you two coral and then scores you based on what you have present, but almost none of the cards give you the type of coral you need for the card's scoring rule, so you have to try and combo your cards. In an ideal world you'll manage to string them together so that each card sets up the next, but in reality you often have to play several cards to set up your next big score. It feels so satisfying when things go right, and equally frustrating when the cards you want just aren't appearing. The game ends when one of the four reef colors runs out. In this case, the players total up their victory points and the player with the most is the winner. You will be building up your reef over the course of the game. Game Experience:

The Great Barrier Reef covers over 130,000 square miles and is home to myriad marine species. Ecosystem: Coral Reef, the card-drafting and pattern building introduces us to some of the fish, crustaceans and aquatic mammals that call the Great Barrier Reef home. In the vein of its “prequel”, Ecosystem, Coral Reef brings new mechanics and a new environment in a standalone format. Having played a fair bit of the first game, I will comment on Coral Reef both in its own right and in comparison to its predecessor for players who are interested in deciding which version to go for (although I think both are great)! How Does The Game Play Out? After looking at their cards and what is face-up in the market, each player takes one of each coral type (there are four different types of coral each of which has its own colour) and places them on their board, which is a four by four grid. For the first few games, players are encouraged to use the centre four spots of their boards. Once players are more familiar with the game they should start using the outside edge instead.

Can the whole family enjoy playing Reef?

Every collection deserves a little bit of Matsuuchi, and if your tastes lean towards the abstract, then this is a great low stakes addition. Take as many player boards E as there are players. Make sure the one with the starfish F is included. Shuffle them and place one at random in front of each player. The player with the starfish board will be the first player.